Activity+3

=Activity 3: Discussion - Time Management Issues =

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There are two key time management issues that I feel are essential in every online course. The first is the issue of developing a timetable for assignment submissions. The second is requiring instructors to provide timely feedback on submitted assignments. I have dealt with both of these issues personally and both have caused me much aggravation over the years.

I feel that it is the instructors responsibility to develop a recommended timetable for assignment submissions. Of the courses I have taken, I have noticed two typical trends. Many of the courses are designed where the instructor will only allow the students to view the current week (or unit) assignments. The instructor will “open up” access to a particular week at the beginning of the week. The students have all week to work through the coursework and at the end of the week the student submits the assignment to the instructor for grading. The second method I have frequently seen is giving students access to all course material at the onset of the course. In the first trend, it is easy for an instructor and learner to identify when assignments are due. In the second trend, the instructor must specify a recommended timetable for assignment submissions otherwise many learners tend to wait until the end of the course date before beginning assignments. This also creates a tremendous challenge for conducting effective asynchronous activities.

The second element related to time management that I feel is even more vital to online classrooms is the requirements for instructors to provide timely feedback on assignments. From my personal experience, this has been the most frustrating part of the online experience. Both my Master’s degree programs were 100% online through two different institutions and it was interesting to experience the difference in teaching methodology as it related to online learning. What was even more interesting was the educational institution’s guidelines (or lack there of) for online instructors. I remember one course in particular which required weekly assignment submissions. Each week’s activity was linked to the previous week’s assignment. The main problem with this course was that the instructor had not graded any assignment for eight weeks, yet the students continued to submit weekly assignments that built upon the previous. It was disheartening to travel blindly through this particular course. I feel that an institution needs to require its instructors to provide feedback within a specified amount of time.